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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29028405">I'll paint you (a clear blue sky)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/blobfishbells/pseuds/blobfishbells'>blobfishbells</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Gallery owner Johnny, M/M, Romance, Secret Identity, alternative universe, artist! Mark, kind of?, security guard! Jaehyun, thief! Taeyong</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:53:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,959</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29028405</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/blobfishbells/pseuds/blobfishbells</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After messing up and losing his job as a policeman, Jaehyun starts working as a security guard in Seo Galleries, where a mysterious thief who calls himself NEO is stealing and replacing a specific artist's paintings. There, he meets Lee Taeyong, a guy with multiple part-time jobs who visits the gallery regularly to test if any picture makes him feel something.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Wanderer Above The Sea of Fog</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! This is my first NCT work but I have been tailoring this story for three years now so it's really special to me<br/>I hope you all enjoy it!<br/>Also just a heads up - TW: there's a slight mention of suicide in this chapter. I'll add this symbol ♦ in the specific paragraph that mentions it.</p><p>I was trying to upload this yesterday to celebrate my friend Minnie's birthday but sadly my power went out so... happy belated birthday Minnie ;; ♥ I love you!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jaehyun couldn’t contain the sigh that left his lips once he took a glance at the building in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>Seo Galleries.</p><p> </p><p>It was plain to see at first sight that it was an expensive work of architecture. The main building was modeled after the Greek pantheon. From the outside, the structure seemed to shine with the reflection of the sun. There were also a couple of speakers outside hanging from the structure, playing soothing music, and now and then, a soft voice resounded through them inviting the passersby to discover the marvels that hid inside the gallery.</p><p> </p><p>The place was rather new: it had been inaugurated a year ago and it had built its reputation rather quickly. Thanks to the attention that his owner, Johnny Seo, had put into the project, the gallery became popular almost overnight and it was the ideal meeting place for people of high and low status. He had an impressive eye for new talent and many artists owed him their success. It was well known among striving artists that if Mr. Seo decided to display your paintings or sculptures at his gallery, you would surely gain a lot of attention. </p><p> </p><p>But Jaehyun didn’t care about that at all. In truth, he couldn’t care less.</p><p> </p><p>There was only one reason he was going to enter this place and that reason was… a job interview.</p><p> </p><p>But not just any job interview. This was his last shot. He was well aware that if he played his cards right, he could go back to his old job and even get a higher position there.</p><p> </p><p>The truth was Jaehyun was a policeman or at least he used to be. He used to take small cases but sometimes, his friend Doyoung asked for his help in more important ones. His biggest ambition was to be in charge of a big case someday. He had been doing a good job at the time, climbing his way to the top with careful steps until one fateful day when he decided to become a little reckless. </p><p> </p><p>Doyoung had complained to him about a complicated case. His team had been chasing a group of drug dealers but they always seemed to vanish in thin air whenever they were close to catching them. Nevertheless, they had a new lead this time: an abandoned theatre close to the pier. His friend had told him he had asked for permission to go there personally and investigate but the higher-ups had denied his petition. </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know why but I have a bad feeling about this”. He told Jaehyun that he had the suspicion that they were trying to keep his team occupied to buy the drug lord some time to escape. There had been some rumors going around saying that some members of the force were accepting bribes from criminals. Of course, no one wanted to doubt their co-workers but it wasn’t a secret that many policemen had succumbed to corruption.</p><p> </p><p>Doyoung had just said his thoughts out loud without giving it much thought, however, on the other side of the table, Jahyun’s blood boiled. There was nothing he hated more than corrupt cops and he wasn’t going to sit there and let all that unfold in front of him. So he did what he had to do. He went there undercovered.</p><p> </p><p>That night vividly stuck in the boy’s mind because it was the day he lost everything. </p><p> </p><p>In an attempt to play hero he had alerted the drug dealers about his presence and the fact that the police already knew their location. Jaehyun had been pathetically kidnapped, drugged, and left there while the criminals escaped until his captain and his team found him. It turned out that Captain Ahn had prepared a secret operation to capture the drug lord but Jaehyun had ruined the entire plan. And, as it was bound to happen, he was harshly scolded and immediately fired.</p><p> </p><p>That had been a month ago, the humiliation and shame still fresh on his mind. He had asked Doyoung for help but his friend said that he was in deep water and there was nothing he could do, not until some time had passed. He sank himself in alcohol until he realized that it would be hard to afford more bottles without a job, but he refused to look for anything outside the force. He was well aware of the fact that he was being hot-headed but that was of little importance to him. His new plan was to find a way to prove himself worthy to go back to the station.</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun began looking thoroughly through the newspaper to find some random unsolved crimes but it was no use. </p><p> </p><p>“Urgh. How come the police here are so effective? Not a single case to take care of…” grumbled Jaehyun through the phone. On the other side of the line, Doyoung laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“Everyone’s been working twice as hard since your dismissal happened. They fear to be the next. The higher-ups are stricter than ever.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but they should leave something for me.”</p><p> </p><p>“May I remind you that you’re no longer a police officer? Please stop doing this. Give me some time to put a good word for you.” His friend seemed honestly concerned about him but Jaehyun couldn’t just sit down and do nothing.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t want to wait anymore.” </p><p> </p><p>The man on the other side of the line sighed. “You really are a lost cause… Okay, I didn’t tell you this because I was sure it would not interest you - especially considering you have rejected all the job offers I presented to you- but a friend of mine is looking for a security guard to take care of his gallery.”</p><p> </p><p>The brunette was about to deny the offer but Doyoung knew him well and spoke again before he refused. “Before you say anything, listen to me first.” Jaehyun rolled his eyes but let his friend continue.</p><p> </p><p>“The place is called Seo Galleries and it’s pretty famous, but that’s not what’s interesting… Lately, there have been some strange robberies and Johnny, the owner, wants to find the thief asap. Johnny is pretty popular nowadays, just google him and you’ll see. Maybe if you catch this thief, he can put a good word for you, he has the media and lots of publicity on his side.”</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun was certainly interested now so he urged Doyoung to go on.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know that many details but I talked to Johnny about you and he seemed desperate to hire someone with your skills. He said you can go there the day after tomorrow so that he can explain more about the case.”</p><p> </p><p>“You are a life savior.”</p><p> </p><p>“I expect compensation in cash when you get your first payment though.”</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun chuckled. “I knew you would say that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Go get that thief, Jaehyuns.”</p><p> </p><p>_____________</p><p>He fixed the collar of his shirt as he entered. He hadn’t expected the place would be so fancy, maybe he should have dressed up a little more for this.</p><p> </p><p>The man approached the front desk where a skinny raven haired boy was typing something aggressively into a computer. Jaehyun was a little scared to interrupt him, he looked as if he would lash out at any moment, but he had an appointment and didn’t want to be late.</p><p> </p><p>With careful steps, he got closer to the desk and threw a nonchalant “hello” to the receptionist. The man didn’t stop typing and didn’t even look at him when he asked Jaehyun what he needed. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m here to meet Mr. Johnny Seo…?”</p><p> </p><p>The boy only looked up when he heard Johnny’s name. He scanned Jaehyun from top to bottom and the former policeman found it a bit weird.</p><p> </p><p>“Jung Jaehyun?” asked the man and Jaehyun nodded.</p><p> </p><p>The receptionist pointed towards a hallway. “Follow this hallway and when you reach the end, knock on the door on your right. I’ll tell Johnny, I mean… Mr. Seo, that you’ve arrived.”</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun nodded and thanked the man. He wanted to give him a piece of his mind but if Jaehyun and the boy were bound to become coworkers soon, it wouldn’t be good to start with the wrong foot. He would just let it slide this time.</p><p> </p><p>The gallery had seemed so big from the outside that he was scared of getting lost inside but luckily, it was pretty easy to get to Johnny Seo’s office. He fixed the collar of his shirt once again, he might have done it like twenty times at that point but he couldn’t help it. It had been a while since he last had a job interview so he wasn’t really accustomed to the sensation.</p><p> </p><p>Without wanting to lose any more time, he knocked on the gallery owner's door. Jaehyun didn't have to wait long until a voice inside ordered him to come in.</p><p> </p><p>Sitting on a sofa on the left side of the room was a man who Jaehyun figured might be Johnny Seo. The owner was way younger than Jaehyun had imagined. He had honestly expected to find an old man but this guy looked more or less his age. Of course, he hadn't looked him up on the internet as Doyoung had suggested, he had been too busy draining his last beer bottles and had completely forgotten about it. Moreover, he preferred to meet the man on his own and draw his own conclusions. </p><p> </p><p>Johnny Seo was inspecting a few pictures that were scattered on the coffee table in front of him. Once Jaehyun entered, the man got up and shook his hand.</p><p> </p><p>"You must be Jaehyun. I'm Seo Johnny. Please, take a seat." He then gestured towards the couch in front of him and Jaehyun complied.</p><p> </p><p>"I heard you're having trouble with a thief." Jaehyun didn't like beating around the bush. Johnny looked surprised but soon the former policeman noted that Johnny didn't want to drag the issue either.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes, regrettably I am. The job offer indeed stated 'security guard' but in all honesty, you will be mainly in charge of doing whatever necessary to catch that robber."</p><p> </p><p>"I can't do much if I don't know the details," Jaehyun said while he got comfortable on the couch.</p><p> </p><p>Johnny arched a brow. "Does that mean you're taking the job? Call me paranoid but I would like what we discuss here stays between us. Many people want to see me fail and I won't give them the satisfaction… Can I count on you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Professional is my middle name. I'm interested in the offer but I would like to know more to make a final decision."</p><p> </p><p>A cryptic smile crept its way into Johnny's face. "You have the mind of a businessman, I like that." He then got up and filled a cup with water from a dispenser in the corner. "The robberies started two weeks ago and a total of two pictures were stolen, one per week. The only common thread between them is that both paintings belong to a young rising artist called Mark Lee." He offered the cup to Jaehyun and sat down again.</p><p> </p><p>"Haven't you looked for the pictures in the black market? The thief would have probably tried to sell them."</p><p> </p><p>"I thought it was highly improbable since Mark is still a rather new discovery. He is indeed on the rise but his career is only just beginning. His pictures do not have the same profit value as others from my gallery."</p><p> </p><p>"You should still have done it, just to be sure."</p><p> </p><p>"Believe me, I was about to move earth and sky to get those paintings back but something astonishing happened… Two days after the first robbery, at opening time, the picture appeared on the same section it was before."</p><p> </p><p>"What?" Jaehyun wasn't sure what to make of that information. Why would a thief return a stolen item? </p><p> </p><p>Johnny continued. "Exactly as you heard. The following week, the same happened. However, there was one problem: the paintings were completely modified."</p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p> </p><p>"Someone painted new things over the original. The first picture depicted a foggy meadow at dusk, with a leafless tree in the center of the painting… It came back with flowers in the meadow; it was no longer dusk, the sun was up in the sky and the tree had blossomed." Johnny looked like he was about to pop a vein in no time. "It was the same with the second one…"</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun was honestly confused. The case had indeed caught his interest but it would be difficult to understand the motives of the criminal. "May I see the pictures? There might be some kind of clue there."</p><p> </p><p>"Of course. You will find them next to the couch you are seated on." While Jaehyun fetched the paintings, Johnny continued to speak. "Mark's signature was left intact and there are no signs of any other name there." </p><p> </p><p>It was exactly as Johnny had said. Judging from the new brushes that had been added, the criminal was definitely not an amateur but a skilled painter. Could it be that this person had some kind of grudge against Mark?</p><p> </p><p>"Do you know if Mark has any enemies? Any people who might not like him?" </p><p> </p><p>"Not that I know of... But people are always jealous of rising stars so it's hard to say…"</p><p> </p><p>They both stayed in silence for a few minutes: Jaehyun inspecting the paintings and Johnny inspecting him. But no matter how long Jaehyun stared at the picture, there seemed to be no other clue. </p><p> </p><p>"I'll take the job." The gallery owner looked relieved. "However, this will be hard. I suspect the robberies happen during closing hours." Johnny nodded. "What about the security cameras?"</p><p> </p><p>The owner sighed. "I don't know how but the thief always dismantles the system for a few hours. The cameras start working again once the pictures were already stolen."</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun bit his lips and started making conjectures. Not only was this man a skilled painter but also some type of security system genius? Or could it be…? "If you allow me, I would like to start right away… However, I must say, that my services aren't cheap." Jaehyun had to make up for all those days he hadn't been working and Johnny looked desperate enough to listen to his demands.</p><p> </p><p>The owner arched a brow but he also showed a cryptic smile. "Money is not a problem… I just hope you are skilled enough to solve this." Jaehyun almost cursed at him but he kept his composure. "I must tell you that an exclusive exhibition of Mark's paintings will take place in two months, you have time to solve the issue until then."<br/>
Fair. Jaehyun couldn't complain about the man's conditions. "Consider it done. That reminds me… May I speak with Mark Lee? Maybe ask him about any enemies or his paintings?"</p><p> </p><p>"He's currently working on the paintings for the exhibition as we speak so he'll probably pay a visit during these days to talk to me about it. You can interrogate him then." Jaehyun nodded and got up but Johnny made a motion to stop him. "I must warn you that Mark knows that two of his paintings were stolen but he doesn't know that they were modified and returned so refrain from mentioning it to him."</p><p> </p><p>"What? But why? Maybe Mark can give us a hint or someth-"</p><p> </p><p>"Absolutely not." Johnny's tone was definitive and Jaehyun was not sure he liked the man’s stubbornness. He never liked when civilians tried to get into the policemen's job. The former cop frowned, of course, rich people would only care about their reputation. He was about to give him a piece of his mind and tell Johnny not to interfere with an official investigation but he was interrupted by Johnny pointing behind him. “Let me ask you something, Mr. Jung. What do you see when you look at that painting?”</p><p> </p><p>Slowly, Jaehyun turned around and met face to face with the picture on the wall. The background was white, with a few little black spots here and there and right in the middle there was the torso and the neck of a person, probably a man, however, where there should have been a head, there was nothing instead, just pure white. “It’s a headless man.”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you think that means?”</p><p> </p><p>How the hell was he supposed to know that? His knowledge about art was as vast as pigs flying in the sky. Even more, he always thought that most artists were pretentious fuckers who just drew whatever they imagined into a white canvas and gave it some deep meaning so that people would pay more for their work. “I honestly have no idea. Maybe the artist was too tired to draw the head?” He joked and laughed a little, but when he looked at Johnny the man was not amused in the slightest.</p><p>♦</p><p>“The author of this painting committed suicide two days after finishing this… It’s a portrait of him after hanging himself. There’s no head because it symbolizes the only part separated from the rest of the body with a noose and also the idea that he had already lost his mind a long time ago. The white background represents nothingness, which is what he must have felt during his last moments or even after death… and the black dots represent desperation.”</p><p>♦</p><p>An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Jaehyun felt ashamed of his initial answer but, on the other hand, there was no way he could have known that just by looking at it. He also found it kind of annoying how Johnny acted as if he got everything that went through this artist’s head, there was no way to prove if all of that was true.</p><p> </p><p>“For me, every picture tells a story or tries to relay a message. If the artist is lucky enough, the message comes through. Imagine what might have happened if someone learned of this artist’s intentions before he died… Maybe his fate could have been changed.” He signaled to Mark’s paintings on the table. “When I scouted Mark, I did it because I saw pure loneliness in his paintings but also the need for company. I feel he’s trying to send a message to someone and it’s my job to help him relay that message.”</p><p> </p><p>“...and modifying the painting changes the message entirely… I get it,” answered Jaehyun. Johnny only nodded and went towards his desk to fetch some papers. </p><p> </p><p>“Let’s discuss your working hours and payment, shall we?” The owner seemed to have switched to business mode and Jaehyun couldn’t be more glad to change the direction of the conversation. Before approaching Johnny, he took one last look towards the headless man picture, and right on the corner of the picture was the signature of the artist, Seo Hajun.</p><p> </p><p>▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬</p><p> </p><p>After Jaehyun filled the paperwork, Johnny took him to meet the rest of the employees. Cleaning ladies, tour guides, souvenir shop assistants, and other security guards. </p><p> </p><p>Johny told him that since his job was a little more specific, he would have access to all places inside the gallery. He showed him all the rooms inside the gallery while explaining the timetable until they reached a room with a bench in the middle and a small painting hanging on the wall. “This is Mark’s latest release, it was hung today so, if the thief still follows the same patron, I expect he will try to take this one maybe tonight or one of these days.”</p><p> </p><p>The man nodded. “Then I’ll start with the night shift today if that’s okay with you.” Johnny smiled and agreed.</p><p> </p><p>Once the tour was almost over, Johnny guided him towards the front desk. “Let me introduce you to the most vital person here, after me,” commented Johnny with a dashing smile and signaled towards the skinny boy with raven hair that Jaehyun had encountered when he entered. “This is Ten, my lifesaver. He will help you with your work so if you ever have a question just ask him.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ten as in…?”</p><p> </p><p>“The number, yes.” Answered the man with an exasperated smile, as if he had been asked that question a billion times. Jaehyun was not sure that he would get along with this person, they had already started on the wrong foot.</p><p> </p><p>“Ten, this is Jaehyun, our new security guard.” He looked at the aforementioned and then back at the receptionist. “Ten is really good at his job, I honestly don’t know what I’d do without him.” </p><p> </p><p>“That’s not true, Mr. Seo, I just do my job as best as I can.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh come on, since when do you call me Mr. Seo?” Johnny laughed and Jaehyun might be wrong but he swore he saw this guy Ten blushing. He should add this to the profile he would make of each employee. “Anyways, Jaehyun will be starting tonight, so give him the spare keys just in case.” Ten nodded, took a key from god knows where, and opened one of the drawers around him. He then gave Jaehyun a bunch of keys held together by a keychain with a pink pineapple.</p><p> </p><p>“Welcome aboard,” said Ten with a smile but for some reason, Jaehyun didn’t feel very welcomed.</p><p> </p><p>▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬</p><p> </p><p>It was already lunchtime so Jaehyun decided to grab something light in one of the fast-food places close to the gallery. It would be a hassle to go back home and cook, that’s why he decided to spend the rest of the day nearby. Luckily, he’d had a good sleep the night before, he would need it. </p><p> </p><p>He tried to memorize every corner and room of the gallery: the position of each painting, where the nearest trash bin was, the emergency exits and fire alarms… That’s why he strolled over the gallery over and over again. It was good that the visitors moved fast, otherwise, he would have received very weird stares.</p><p> </p><p>However, after the fifth patrol, he realized something… He had been moving around for like four hours already but there was a man in the west wing that hadn’t changed his position, no matter how many times he passed through that aisle. The boy was inspecting a big painting hanging on the wall. It looked like abstract art but what would Jaehyun know about that? The boy was frowning as if he was concentrating hard on whatever was inside the frame. Jaehyun had this weird impulse to ask him what was so interesting about that random picture -that made zero sense to him- but right as he had made up his mind, the boy turned around and left. He decided not to fret too much over it, however, he still thought of asking him if he ever saw the boy in the gallery again. </p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun looked at his watch. There was still an hour and a half until closing time… Maybe he should ask Johnny to lend him the couch to sleep at least a little, so he could be alert during nighttime.</p><p><br/>
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬</p><p> </p><p>He was pulled out of dreamland with a cold liquid thrown to his face. When he opened his eyes, he met Johnny and Ten. The latter was holding an empty glass in his hand while Johnny tried hard not to laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“What the hell was that for?” said the man with an annoyed tone while he tried to dry his wet face with his shirt.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m terribly sorry. We tried to wake you up but you weren’t responding,” answered Johnny trying to contain his laugh. “Ten suggested the water trick but I thought he was joking.”</p><p> </p><p>“It would be a pity if Mr. Jung fell asleep on his first day at work.” Said Ten with a cheeky smile and left the glass on the coffee table. Jaehyun gritted his teeth and did his best not to lash out at the raven-haired man in front of his employer. Ten was already testing his patience and it was only the first day.</p><p> </p><p>“Jaehyun, we’re leaving. I’ll leave the rest to you.” Johnny nodded and pointed to his set of keys. “You already know how everything works. I shall remind you to focus entirely on Mark’s painting.”</p><p> </p><p>The guard nodded and got up from the couch. Then, he took his uniform, said goodbye to both Johnny and Ten, and got changed. He hoped this would be an eventful night… It had been a long time since he last experienced some action.</p><p> </p><p>The gallery was extremely quiet at that time. Ten had turned off most of the lights before leaving but there was still some faint light above every painting.</p><p> </p><p>A few hours passed with no movement and Jaehyun was starting to get impatient. Surely, he had expected that the first night would be kind of boring but he had hoped this wasn’t the case. Well, he just had to stay there and watch the painting.</p><p> </p><p>What was so special about it anyway? It was just a picture of many faces looking miserable. I mean, yeah, they looked amazingly well painted but that was it… He didn't even feel sad by looking at it, just lost.</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun was confused. He would understand if these types of pictures had some special hidden value in the market but the thief wasn’t even stealing them in order to sell them. What was the point of modifying a painting? Ruining Mark’s job? Mocking him? Was someone seeking revenge? He decided to make up some conjectures and then present them to Mark when they met. Maybe the artist could give him some kind of insight on the matter.</p><p> </p><p>He was in the middle of yawning when something caught his attention. The red light of the security camera had just turned off. It couldn’t be a coincidence... Someone had deactivated the cameras and most probably the alarm system as well. Was the thief in the security room? Should he run over there? It wouldn’t be wise to leave the picture alone but if he could intercept the thief before he got to the painting, then the work would be much easier.<br/>
It had been less than three minutes since the lights of the cameras turned off so he had to start moving if he wanted to finish this job as soon as possible. He was confident in his skills and his speed so the painting would probably be safe. Moreover, there was only one entrance to the room where the picture was so even if he didn’t find the criminal in the camera's room, he would surely intercept them. Without giving it another thought, he started running.</p><p> </p><p>The gallery was still silent but there was some kind of tension in the air now. He was about to reach the corridor where the security room was when the lights turned off completely.</p><p> </p><p>“Fuck.” Not only had the thief messed up with the security but also with the power. The thing was he had no idea where the power switch was, so there was no way of knowing if the thief was still closeby or if they were in another place entirely… Jaehyun gritted his teeth while he searched for the security room door. Once he was pretty sure he had found it, he grabbed his lantern and rapidly inspected the room from outside.</p><p> </p><p>Inside, a man was sleeping on a chair with a bottle of beer in front of him. This was presumably the staff in charge of checking the cameras. He made a point of telling Johnny to hire more reliable employees; no wonder no one had been able to catch the thief when the employees were like that.</p><p> </p><p>The security guard was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t have time to react when someone kicked him from behind and locked the door. </p><p> </p><p>“You gotta be fucking kidding me.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Portrait of a Young Man</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi again! <br/>I forgot to mention this last time but my idea is to update every Wednesday if I can 🤗<br/>Hope you enjoy this second chapter and please let me know what you think ♡<br/>A special thanks to my darlings from the ws squad who always support me ): ♡ I love you all</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>How could Jaehyun make such a stupid mistake? It was that same recklessness that had cost him a job before, hadn’t he learned anything from his past mistakes? No, it was not too late yet, he refused to be tricked once again by some random criminal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luckily, what he lacked in intelligence, he made up for in strength. After all, he used to be one of the best in the academy during combat lessons and it wouldn’t be the first time that he would have to push a door open by his strength alone. He would apologize to his boss for the broken door afterwards…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without giving it a second thought, he positioned his hands on each side of the frame and gave the door a powerful kick. It didn't open at once so Jaehyun continued pushing it with his foot until the lock busted and finally freed him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was kind of amazing how the guy in charge of the cameras didn't flinch at all. However, the security guard decided to deal with the man later, he had more important things to take care of first.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ran as fast as his legs permitted him even if it was difficult to find his way in the dark. It was then when he noticed he had left his torch in the room but going back to retrieve it would only give the thief an advantage. He couldn’t give up yet. Making use of his brain for once, he took his cellphone from his pocket and tried to make his way using the lantern function.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t long until he reached the room where Mark Lee’s painting was exhibited and, surprisingly, the place was empty and the painting stood right where Jaehyun had left it. That didn’t make any sense… Could the thief have gotten lost in the dark? Were they interested in stealing another picture instead? No, why would they suddenly change their stealing pattern? This was the only Mark painting in the gallery right now. There had to be some other explana-.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was pushed out of his thoughts when he felt movement behind him. It was really subtle, any normal person wouldn’t have paid attention to it but he had been trained in the art of being aware of beong aware of every little detail in his surroundings… The problem was when he sometimes forgot to correctly make use of that training... His approach had always been more straightforward and reckless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, this time he was more focused so, swiftly, he turned around, grabbed the foot that was about to kick him again and dropped the criminal to the floor. “I’m not gonna fall for that again.” The other person was definitely too skinny for his own good, Jaehyun had no trouble pinning them to the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With one hand, he held both the thief’s wrists up his head while with the other, he palmed the criminal’s body to make sure they weren’t carrying any weapons. It was an inconvenience not having his cuffs and gun anymore. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two things were sure: The first one was that this person was most likely a man. It had been hard to tell at first with how skinny he looked behind all those black pieces of clothing but after checking his sides and torso, it was pretty clear he was male. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other thing he was sure of was that this guy didn’t have any weapons with him which wasn’t really surprising. The thief had stolen two pictures already without encountring any problems, he surely wasn’t expecting to run into one this time. But as the saying went: third time’s a charm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took the time to inspect the man below him with his eyes this time: his features were completely covered under a black ski mask with no holes anywhere, Jaehyun wondered how could this person see behind that. Another interesting fact was that the thief was holding no resistance whatsoever. Had he been too harsh while throwing them to the ground? It was possible that the guy was unconscious but that only made his job easier… He honestly couldn’t believe how easy this had been, maybe a little too anticlimactic for his liking. Not to boast but Johnny had surely gotten the right man for the right job.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was finally time to put an end to this. Jaehyun was ready to pull the thief’s mask, reveal his identity and hopefully get his job back. Had he known this was going to be so simple, he wouldn’t have wasted that whole month drowning in alcohol feeling miserable about having lost his job.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yes, everything would be perfect again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, Jaehyun would understand the dangers of celebrating early soon enough because right as he was about to pull the ski mask out of the thief’s head, he felt a hard hit directed to his groin area. The pain was excruciating. His eyes were already watering and before he could make sense of the situation, the thief hit his nose with his elbow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The criminal had just pretended to have passed out and Jaehyun had fallen for it like an idiot. The robber had the upper hand now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A weird smell filled Jaehyun’s nostrils and once he could react, he found himself surrounded by some kind of white gas. His field of vision was already being affected by the dark and the pain but now he also had to worry about this new hindrance. He tried to move his limbs in a desperate try to at least touch the thief but he didn’t get too far. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt something collapsing against the back of his head and the next thing he could see was a silhouette between the smoke making its way to the painting before he fell unconscious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun woke up with a big headache. He didn’t know what time it was but when he looked around, the light was already back and the cameras seemed to be working just fine. However, there was nothing to be relieved about because when he directed his gaze towards the wall in front of him, Mark’s painting was nowhere to be seen. Instead, in front of him, on the floor, there was a green post-it note with a message.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was fun. Let’s do it again. I’ll be back in three days. -Neo”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He greeted his teeth and hit the floor with his fist. He was a fucking idiot. Not only had he failed on his only mission but the thief had managed to make a fool of him in the process.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>But he had lost this battle, not the war.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, the veil of the night helped keeping two shadows hidden until they arrived at their shabby house in the suburbs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They closed the door as silently as they could so as not to wake the third resident of the house who would most probably be sleeping at this hour. After that, they slumped on the couch and released a sigh at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was close.” muttered the raven haired boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I had it under control.” answered the other boy while he inspected the painting in his hands to check if it had suffered any damage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy scoffed. “Yeah, right. Good thing I grabbed that fire extinguisher. Otherwise he would have caught you.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other man laughed and got up to hide the picture in the closet behind him. “Don’t pretend that you didn’t enjoy hitting him on the head with that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hitting a cop is always quite satisfying, not gonna lie.” He squinted his eyes towards the other boy. “By the way, Taeyong... I believe I told you Johnny had hired a new security guard and that the guy used to be a policeman. I thought you would be prepared.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man named Taeyong didn’t answer, he only shrugged and smiled cryptically. “I miscalculated… I had fun though. It’s been a while since I had some type of challenge. That guy is awfully strong.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Please don’t start with your strength kink, I don’t wanna hear it, and whatever you’re thinking, stop right this instant…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Teeeeen, why do you have to be such a killjoy?” whined the other male. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The raven haired boy rolled his eyes and got up from the couch. “This is not a game, you know why we’re doing this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both looked towards the adjacent room at the same time and Taeyong sighed. His tone was more serious this time. “Yeah… but we won’t get anywhere if your boy toy keeps hiding the pictures.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s not my boy toy…” said Ten with a conflicted look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… but you want him to be.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Ten could say anything, Taeyong threw himself on the couch once more and closed his eyes. “I’m going to sleep. Let’s discuss the next part of the plan tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten rolled his eyes but he still grabbed a blanket from the closet to cover Taeyong in it. “Good night, you idiot... Stop making me worried.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark Lee woke up abruptly, breathing heavily and shaking uncontrollably. Sweat was running through his forehead and back, damping his shirt. He rubbed his eyes frantically and looked around, expecting to see something or someone that only existed in dreams.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t the first time it happened but he never quite managed to get over the emptiness that he felt when he woke up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He grabbed the bottle of water on his bedside table and gulped it in one go. He inspected his surroundings one more time and focused his gaze on the white canvas sitting on his easel. The painter threw the covers to the floor and approached the table where he kept his materials. He grabbed his usual choices of painting: purple, blue, white, gray and black. However, his hand halted when it came into contact with the yellow painting. It was practically full compared to the other colors. Mark bit his lips and closed his eyes. With a heavy heart, he decided to grab it as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He spread the painting on his palette and started to work. His brush always seemed to move on its own but this time he wanted to be in control of it. He had an image on his mind: the sun shining bright on a summer afternoon, a big greenhouse, sunflowers, a boy with the most beautiful smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark tried to paint the sun first. The first brushes came as easily as his own breathing, natural, effortless, unnoticeable. But what happened when you were made aware of your own breathing? It suddenly became irregular, difficult to manage, uncomfortable. The brush fell from his hand as he stared at the bright sun he had painted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>How many times was he going to fool himself? There was nothing bright about his life, about his paintings. The only person who had brought sunshine to his gloomy days had disappeared without a trace. He was alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just like that, the sun on the canvas was quickly covered by dark clouds and shadow as the young artist let his hollowed heart take control of the painting once more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny put down the post-it note Jaehyun had shown to him and looked at the man in front of him with an unreadable expression. To say that Jaehyun wasn’t nervous would be a lie but he tried to mask it as hard as he could. This job was his opportunity to get his life back but he had already failed his first task… He was ready to accept his dismissal and probably drown his sorrows in alcohol once again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you saw the thief… What were they like? Since the cameras are always turned off I could never catch a glimpse of them.” Johnny hadn’t spoken about the missing picture yet and Jaehyun wished he would get to that as soon as possible, his headache was killing him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s a male, kinda skinny but in good shape. He was wearing a ski masked that covered his face entirely so I couldn’t see any of his features.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny only nodded. “As always he deactivated the security system but he did the same with the lights this time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s correct.” said Jaehyun. He had already written down everything that had happened but Johnny insisted on going through it all once again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Regarding the man in charge of the cameras, I already told him that he’s dismissed until further notice. But it’s strange… I knew he was a fan of alcohol but in general he knows how to hold his liquor.“ Johnny seemed deep in thought. Apparently the man had woken up without a memory of what had happened before he fell asleep and he assured Johnny that he had only drank one bottle of beer. The testimony was solid as rock since, after looking for a while, they could only find that single bottle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun was weighing the possibility that the man was somehow drugged but he didn't come into contact with anyone when entering work so how would the thief do something like that? Unless…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Jaehyun." It seemed like the guard had been caught in his own thoughts and Johnny had to call him several times until he reacted. Jaehyun decided to keep his suspicions to himself for now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry, I was lost in thought."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was telling you that you should rest and be ready for your next encounter with our good friend Neo in three days." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun blinked several times. Did that mean that he could keep his job? "Does this mean I can keep the job?" He just blurted out what he was thinking… It was a bad habit of his that he should probably learn to control by now. It could certainly get him in trouble in the future.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny nodded with a smile. "It's not like I was expecting you to catch the thief on the first night."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun didn't like that statement. "Excuse me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You must surely have realized that I had hired some people before you, right?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The former officer guessed that would have been the case but he wanted to believe that he was the best option. That's why he was so frustrated with himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It seemed like Johnny could see Jaehyun's distress so he continued speaking. "Up until now you are the only one who managed to literally catch the guy… at least for a few seconds."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That didn't make him feel any better. "That might be true but I still failed to protect the picture."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, don't worry. That one was a fake one." Said the owner of the gallery nonchalantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To say Jaehyun was mad would be an understatement, he was fuming. "What? So you doubted my abilities from the beginning?" His tone was anything but nice. He stood up from the couch, which made nothing for his pounding head but he didn't care. He didn't care if he was being rude, or if the whole gallery heard him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny shook his head. "It's not like that. Listen to me for a second…" The owner tried to be as calm as possible and signaled to the couch again so that Jaehyun would sit down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun ignored him. "Don't give me that. Explain. Now. Or I'll run to the press and tell everyone what's going on in here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other man frowned. "I think you forget I have the upper hand here." Johnny smirked and Jaehyun felt his blood boil but he didn't say anything more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny waited for Jaehyun to sit down again but once it was clear that the boy wasn't planning on doing that anytime soon, he decided to start explaining. "The fake painting was indeed a test but not for you. It's for the thief… I would like to know how much knowledge of art this man has. If he doesn't realize that the picture is fake then the solution is to keep taunting him with falsifications until we catch him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It made sense… That way, Mark's pictures wouldn't have to be compromised until the exhibition. That didn't mean that he was any less annoyed "Does Mark know about this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny nodded. "He gave the general idea of the painting to the forger so that it wouldn't be too far from reality." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So I was the only one in the dark…" said Jaehyun, his grudge plain to see. Johnny sighed and fetched him a drink.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry about that. I wanted you to act as if it was the real deal… and you surely didn't disappoint me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guard grabbed the drink reluctantly and took a sip before addressing Johnny one last time. "Hopefully this is the first and last time you do something behind my back… If we want to catch this thief you will have to trust me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're absolutely right…" answered Johnny while pouring a drink for himself. "Let's make peace with each other." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After uttering those words, the owner of the gallery raised his glass. "To the downfall of Neo."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why are you here again? Aren't you supposed to be working?" whispered Ten, clearly annoyed but without losing his smile for a second so that the visitors around them wouldn't suspect anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong gave his friend a cheeky smile before pushing some bills to the receptionist. "I'm on my lunch break. Come on, aren't you gonna let me in? What terrible service... should I file a complaint?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The raven haired boy gave him an entrance ticket and a map accompanied by a warning glare. "Enjoy your visit, sir." The veins on Ten's forehead were about to pop out and Taeyong found it hilarious. He gave him one last wave before walking away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Where should he start? There was really no use in consulting that map since he had studied the place thoroughly before starting the robberies. He decided to stroll around until something hopefully peaked his interest, but that didn't happen very often.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eyes landed on an area where a lot of people were gathering to take pictures and look at a specific painting. Taeyong wondered what could be that marvelous as to attract that many people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He made his way through the crowd to see the painting up close but he was quite disappointed on its content. The canvas was full of what Taeyong interpreted as random brush strokes of different colors. It seemed as if someone was trying out new paint or brushes and just used the canvas to test them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But then again, all these people were gathering here as if this was some kind of amazing discovery.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He squinted his eyes to look at the author and tried to control the urge of rolling his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This is Kim Jongin's new painting! Take a picture of me with it so I can tag him later."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He's so artistic, I can't believe he is good-looking AND talented!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I actually started attending painting classes because of him! I hope he can notice me in the future!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So that was why so many girls were giggling at this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kim Jongin had been one of the first discoveries of Johnny when the latter was just starting with the gallery. He quickly rose to fame thanks to his good looks and his artistic sense. His pictures were among the ones with the highest market value in Seo gallery.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong never understood the hype… Well, not like he understood much about art either. His brother would surely scold him if he could read his thoughts right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn't know how much time he stood there but when he regained consciousness again, all the people had left and there was only one person next to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he looked to his right, next to him stood none other than the security guard from the night before. He was wearing casual clothes instead of his uniform -which looked very good on him by the way- Maybe Taeyong was imagining things but he could have sworn the guy was stealing glances at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong was sure he hadn't left any concrete evidence that directed the suspicion at him so he wasn't really sure what this man was up to. But he couldn't deny he liked the attention. It kinda seemed like he was looking for an opportunity to speak to him...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His neutral expression gave way to a smirk. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's fascinating, right?" He said audibly enough so that the security guard could hear him. "What do you think the artist was trying to convey with this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>There was no damage in trying to have a little fun.</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Embarrassingly, Jaehyun startled a little when the other boy addressed him. Was he being too obvious? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His curiosity peaked the moment he saw this boy again. It was the same boy who had stood for hours in front of a painting the day before. Jaehyun had promised himself that if he saw the boy again, he would talk to him, he just didn't expect it to happen so soon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it was not only because of curiosity… Jaehyun was a man, he had eyes and this boy was exactly his type. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had dated a fair share of women and men but it was never serious. Jaehyun was just too enamoured with his job which generally annoyed his past flings. And the cop knew that if he had to choose between romance and his job, he wouldn't even think about it twice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, a little fling never hurt anybody and since he was getting so stressed about the thief and the paintings, it would be good to have a little distraction now and then.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That's when he had decided to talk to the boy who was once again, staring at another picture, deep in thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Howwver, it was easier said than done.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was an awful amount of people near the painting so he had to wait for the path to clear a little before making his way towards the boy, and once he was next to him, it took him an awfully long time to come up with some witty comment to say to gain the man's attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But before he could utter a single word, the boy asked him a question… And it was the worst conversation starter the other boy could have come up with. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do you think the artist was trying to convey with this?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun hated to admit it but he was utterly disappointed. It appeared that the boy was one of those artsy wannabes that he couldn't stand. He was trying to decide whether to make up something on the spot and try to look sophisticated or to be completely honest and reveal his disinterest. The painting was not helping either; Jaehyun could only see some random and unrelated brushes that made no sense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, it's not like this boy was the only guy on the planet who could peak his interest. There was really no use in lying so he said exactly what he was thinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I honestly have no idea." The boy looked startled after his answer and looked at Jaehyun with eyes wide open. "The only thing I can see are random coloured stripes… Is this even supposed to mean something? Even I can do shit like this and call it art."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could have gone a little overboard but the boy had asked for his opinion and that's exactly what Jaehyun gave him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An uncomfortable silence immediately followed his statement and Jaehyun was expecting the boy to snap, call him rude or even leave without a word but he had surely not anticipated what happened next.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy started laughing hysterically. He was laughing so hard that a bunch of tears escaped from his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Some visitors were throwing dirty glances at them but Jaehyun was so lost and confused that he just stood there staring at the boy who was apparently having the time of his life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the boy finally calmed down, he dried his tears with the sleeves of his shirt and addressed Jaehyun. “I… I also think this is just a bunch of crap.” He was trying his best to muffle his laughter again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guard was even more confused than before but before he could ask any questions, the boy continued. “Actually, I bring my dates here and ask them the exact same question. They always like to act as big shots and pretend to give this stuff a deeper meaning… Pff… In truth, I just expect them to be honest and say exactly what you just said.” The boy gave Jaehyun a meaningful look and the guard felt that not all hope was lost. Maybe it was time to make a move already.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was not aware that this was a date.” He gave the boy a smirk and the other man didn’t seem fazed at all. He looked as if he had actually been waiting for it. Jaehyun was glad to know that they were on the same page.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should change that.” The boy answered playfully. “I’m Lee Taeyong. And you are…?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jung Jaehyun.” He didn’t know if they were supposed to shake hands or if that would be too awkward given the situation they were in. Just in case, he decided against it. “Do you like iced coffee, Taeyong?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m more of an iced tea kind of guy but I’ll let you decide the place this time.” He finished the sentence with a wink and Jaehyun gave him a smile. For him, it was common to have boys and girls swooning over him and getting flustered but Taeyong seemed to be as flirty as him which was kind of exciting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excellent… I know just the place. Shall we…?” He should secure the date before the boy ran away and since both of them looked like they had nothing else to do, what better time than now?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, Taeyong looked conflicted. Jaehyun was afraid he had sounded too pushy. He was about to take it back but Taeyong spoke first. “I'm actually on a lunch break. I should hurry back to work shortly.” Jaehyun was internally sighing. “But if you’re not busy we can meet up when I finish work at six? It’s not that far away from here.” And just like that, Taeyong reignited the confidence in him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t officially start work until 9 p.m. so I’ll pick you up.” He took his phone out of his pocket nonchalantly and passed it over to Taeyong. The other boy seemed to understand him perfectly and did the same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Things were finally starting to look good for Jaehyun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, the security guard was unaware of the smug smile Taeyong was wearing while he walked away.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hit me up on twitter to interact ;; @ wblobfishbells<br/>Thanks again for reading this!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Impression, Sunrise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm keeping my promise of updating on Wednesdays (it's still Wednesday where I live, ok? hehe)<br/>Also I feel that I'm throwing too much information in this chapter but I promise it will all make sense. It'd be nice if you try to make your own conclusions as well.. What are Neo's intentions? mmmmmM<br/>Anyways, if you made it this far, thanks for showing interest in this story, and hope I can get some feedback from y'all ♥</p><p>ALSO... I didn't mention this before but this fic is bound to address some deep issues later on so I'll add more tags as the story progresses.</p><p>Without further ado, enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Taeyong worked in a small library a couple of blocks south of the gallery. It was one of his many part-time jobs and his favorite one by far. The tasks he had to do were pretty simple and, if he had time, he could also engage in one of the many books the library had to offer when no customers were around.</p><p> </p><p>It was a stroke of luck that he didn't have to work as a catering staff that night since there weren't that many events at that time of the year. In any case, he had been considering leaving that job and taking up an offer to work as a restaurant host which he had seen on the internet the other day. That would give him a more stable source of income which was always more than welcome.</p><p> </p><p>There was no denying that Ten's job at the gallery was very well paid but it was not enough to support all of them at home. Especially considering the extra expenses their night escapades entailed. That's why Taeyong's schedule was generally packed up with part-time jobs.</p><p> </p><p>Luckily, the day went by rather fast. Not many customers had come by and he had organized the shelves rather quickly.<br/>Before Taeyong even noticed, there was only an hour left before closing time so he decided to send some messages: the first one was delivered to Jaehyun who insisted on picking him up. However, Taeyong had decided against it. He couldn't risk giving away too much information about him, or at least not at the moment.  So they arranged to meet each other at the coffee shop Jaehyun had suggested.</p><p>The second and third texts were directed to each one of his brothers and they informed both of them that he would be arriving late because he was going to go on a date.</p><p>The answers he received said exactly what he had predicted: the youngest of the three wished him good luck and sent some flirty gifs that made Taeyong laugh out loud. On the other hand, his middle brother practically interrogated him with neverending spam of messages full of typos since he was supposed to be working at that time and always texted as fast as he could so as not to be caught ("??? ?a fate? *dste *date? Witj who? Sinfe wjen? Taeyong ansr me istg *ansee *answer").</p><p> </p><p>He sent a sticker back to his younger brother and ignored Ten’s messages. Taeyong would surely be finished before the other boy came home anyway so there was nothing to be worried about. Their younger brother could stay a few hours alone. He knew what to do in case of an emergency anyways.</p><p> </p><p>Taeyong politely said goodbye to his bosses, an old couple who had managed the bookstore for years, and headed towards the address Jaehyun had sent him right after sending him a message notifying that he was on his way. He decided to go walking since the place wasn’t that far away, even though he had never heard of it before.</p><p> </p><p>When he was just a couple of blocks away, he could see Jaehyun from the distance. Once the man caught sight of him, he waved at him with a dashing smile on his face and Taeyong did the same. He picked up his pace and in no time, he was standing next to the security guard.</p><p> </p><p>“I was afraid you would set me up,” said Jaehyun jokingly.</p><p> </p><p>Taeyong shook his head. “You made quite an unforgettable first impression. I’m eager to see if you’ll keep surprising me.” The thief smirked and looked around to find the coffee shop but there was nothing of the sort around them.</p><p> </p><p>He arched his eyebrows in confusion and when Jaehyun realized what the other boy was doing, he let out a breathy laugh and pointed upwards. “We’ve got to go up to get there.” After saying that, he pointed towards an alley right behind them where a staircase stood.</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun led the way and started going up the stairs. It would be a lie to say Taeyong didn’t find this a little fishy… Had Jaehyun somehow learned about his identity and was setting him a trap? No, that couldn’t be, Taeyong had been extremely careful, there was no way the security guard knew about him. Still, that same tension, the same call for adventure excited him to no end. It had been a long time since he last felt that same sense of adrenaline, and he loved it. So without thinking twice, he followed Jaehyun upwards.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you perhaps… allergic to anything in particular?” Jaehyun asked when they stopped in front of a wooden door</p><p> </p><p>Taeyong was confused about the question. Was this coffee shop full of dust? Just where had Jaehyun brought him?</p><p> </p><p>“Nothing at all… Should I be scared?” He had wanted to sound funny but he was still concerned.</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun looked relieved and Taeyong was even more confused than before. The other man didn’t answer and rang the bell.</p><p> </p><p>Taeyong decided not to press too much on the issue but he was prepared to make up an excuse to leave just in case. However, all his plans were thrown out of the window the moment the door opened and a smiling pomeranian was looking at him with bright eyes from the floor. </p><p> </p><p>He didn’t even stop himself from cooing, which made Jaehyun laugh.</p><p> </p><p>While Jaehyun spoke to the employee that had opened the door for them, Taeyong decided to give his full attention to the dog standing in the doorway. He kneeled and petted him eagerly while talking with the little animal in what he liked to call his “baby voice”.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t until they had fully entered the place that Taeyong understood where exactly had Jaehyun taken him: a dog café.</p><p> </p><p>Taeyong was ecstatic. No one had ever taken him to a place like that and he had never had the opportunity to go on his own either. He didn’t even bother to place his order after the owner had explained how to approach the dogs, he just walked as fast as his legs permitted him to sit on the floor and play with the animals. After a few minutes of playing, he got worried that Jaehyun was ashamed or have gotten mad at his behavior. He was about to go look for the younger boy but all his worries drifted away when Jaehyun approached him with his iced tea and a tender smile adorned his face while he watched Taeyong interacting with the puppies.</p><p> </p><p>They had a great time petting the dogs and also getting to know each other better. Jaehyun told him that he was currently working as a security guard at the gallery and Taeyong had to fake surprise, which wasn’t all that hard since he had always been good at pretending. </p><p> </p><p>Taeyong soon learned that apart from being extremely handsome, the guard was also incredibly thoughtful. Even though it was plain to see that Taeyong was having a great time, he never stopped asking if he felt comfortable or if he wanted him to order anything else for him.</p><p> </p><p>After knowing this side of the guard, he thought it would be fair to tell Jaehyun a little bit about himself so he revealed that he had multiple part-time jobs. When Jaehyun asked why he explained that he had dropped out of school and it was quite difficult to find a stable job with no qualifications. Jaehyun had apologized for asking but Taeyong didn’t mind. </p><p> </p><p>He learned that Jaehyun was actually younger than him, he was good at sports and especially liked basketball. Luckily, Jaehyun never mentioned being a policeman and Taeyong couldn’t be more glad, he couldn’t trust himself into not making a face at that statement. After all, they were having a good time and he didn’t want to ruin their first date.</p><p> </p><p>He stopped at the thought. Did that mean that he hoped for another one? He looked at the other boy as he was petting a big husky and wondered what exactly he was expecting of this outing with Jaehyun. At first, he thought it would be fun and it would make his night adventures at the gallery more interesting but he wasn’t expecting to find the guy likable.</p><p> </p><p>Still… It wasn’t like he was in love or anything so he didn’t find any fault in having a second date and getting to know each other more. With time, he could even learn some major information if Jaehyun was willing to open up to him enough. However, he would have to keep his guard up and not reveal anything major. He also made a vow to himself: he would stay away from Jaehyun as soon as he realized he was catching feelings.</p><p> </p><p>* * *</p><p> </p><p>“Taeyong!”</p><p> </p><p>Ten was practically fuming when he entered their shared house. He took off his shoes as quickly as he could and strode towards the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>There Taeyong stood, in all his glory, wearing his favorite apron while he made dinner while humming a tune. Far from feeling tender-hearted by the sight, he frowned in annoyance and made his presence known.</p><p> </p><p>“What the hell, Taeyong? Ever thought about answering my texts? I was worried, you know?”</p><p> </p><p>The other boy didn’t even turn around and kept cooking with a calm expression. “Sorry, Ten. I had such a great time I forgot!”</p><p> </p><p>It was evident that Taeyong was trying to get on his nerves and it was working. "It better not be one of your dumb exes or I'll riot."</p><p> </p><p>"They're dumb exes for a reason, Ten," Taeyong commented while taking out the plates and turning the stove off. "Don't worry, I'm a grown-up, I know what I'm doing." </p><p> </p><p>"Where did you meet him?" Ten squinted his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"At the gallery."</p><p> </p><p>This time, the raven-haired boy opened his eyes with an alarmed expression. "You're dating snobs now?!"</p><p> </p><p>Taeyong couldn't help but laugh. "He passed the painting test." </p><p> </p><p>"Has it ever occurred to you that anyone who passes that stupid test of yours might be… I don't know… too dumb to understand proper art? or to get the message of the picture?" He instantly regretted those words the moment they came out of his mouth. Taeyong would undoubtedly make fun of him. Ugh, this was all Johnny's fault and his constant speech about the importance of seeing beyond what your eyes told you.</p><p> </p><p>"Wow… Didn't know you were a snob now." Taeyong was smirking and Ten just wanted to punch him but right before he got back at him with a snarky comment, their younger brother entered the kitchen and demanded to know if the food was ready.</p><p> </p><p>Nobody could continue being mad whenever Donghyuck entered the room. Ten decided to just drop it and deal with Taeyong's teasing some other time. They were already wasting time joking when they should be going over the plan for the next strike. However, it would have to be discussed some other time when Donghyuck was not present.</p><p> </p><p>"I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to help me cook but you looked too focused over there." Taeyong signaled to Donghyuck's room, specifically towards the easel that stood in the center of the room. "How's the painting going?"</p><p> </p><p>Donghyuck sat down on the table and shrugged. Ten noticed that his eyebrows were knitted as if he was thinking hard about something. "Hey, I was meaning to ask… Did you get the duplicate from your usual friend?" </p><p> </p><p>Of course, Donghyuck didn't know that they stole the original paintings. When Donghyuck had asked them for duplicates of Mark's works, they told him Ten had a friend who painted and could make some for him. The boy was very righteous and he would get incredibly mad if he learned about what Ten and Taeyong were doing behind his back. </p><p> </p><p>However, they couldn't stop now, even if Donghyuck asked them to… since they were doing this for him.</p><p> </p><p>Ten nodded. "Why? Is there something wrong?"</p><p> </p><p>Donghyuck started playing with his fork. "Maybe I'm just thinking too much. The problem is not the duplicate per se but… It's weird that Mark had presented that picture in the first place since…"</p><p> </p><p>Both Taeyong and Ten were holding their breaths. </p><p> </p><p>"... as far as I know Mark doesn't know how to draw faces."</p><p> </p><p>Ten looked at Taeyong. The older looked bewildered at first but a second later a quizzical smile adorned his face and Ten knew exactly what the other was thinking.</p><p> </p><p>A challenge. </p><p> </p><p>Taeyong loved challenges.</p><p> </p><p>They had been tricked.</p><p> </p><p>* * *</p><p> </p><p>Two days passed too quickly for Jaehyun’s liking. He had patrolled the gallery at night but there were no signs of Neo, as the thief liked to call himself. It appeared that he would keep his word of appearing on the third day. If Jaehyun played his cards right, he could catch the thief this time.</p><p> </p><p>He decided to stay home and rest during the day to be prepared for the night. At first, he only stayed in the gallery during the day to learn about the structure of the aisles and rooms and to verify any kind of suspicious activity, he was planning to rest at home during the day but a certain boy had changed his plans. After his first date with Taeyong, they had met again at the gallery the next day and talked for a bit until the older one had gone to work. He didn’t mind messing with his sleep schedule if he got to talk to Taeyong for a few days more.</p><p> </p><p>Luckily for him, Taeyong had sent him a text that day letting him know that he wouldn’t be able to go to the gallery because of one of his jobs and that, in the future, he would let Jaehyun know when he was available to go so that the security guard could rest.</p><p> </p><p>Currently, Jaehyun was arriving at the gallery after a good nap. It was quite early for his shift but Johnny had instructed him to go to his office an hour before closing time to discuss his course of action for the night. </p><p> </p><p>The time commuting went by extremely fast since he kept exchanging texts with Taeyong and the older kept sending him pictures surrounded by teddy bears and different types of plushies since he worked at a toy store on Thursdays.</p><p> </p><p>He put the phone inside his pocket when he was a few meters away from the entrance, he couldn't let Taeyong's pretty face distract him during work. He still had a goal to reach which was more important than anything at the moment.</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun was about to enter when he felt a soft tag in his sleeve. It had come from his right side and when he turned around, an old lady was trying to catch his attention. The guard recognized her,  Jaehyun had seen her on his first day at the gallery, the woman had asked him where Son Seungwan pictures were located like four or five times. No matter how many times he told her they were on the Velvet aisle, she just kept asking. But Jaehyun was never annoyed, he even found it kind of endearing.</p><p> </p><p>"You work here, right? Sorry to bother you but…" the lady pointed towards a corner of the building. "Not to be judgemental or anything but… there is a strange person over there." Jaehyun followed the direction the woman was pointing at and rapidly detected the person she was talking about.</p><p> </p><p>It was hard to miss him since the man really stood out. His face was completely covered by a black mask, sunglasses, and even a cap. It was a  pretty hot day to be muffled up like that so the only reason he could be wearing that was to not be recognized.</p><p> </p><p>Could that be the thief? Was Neo that reckless to strolling around the gallery suspiciously? Jaehyun thought he was smarter than that. However, he would not let this opportunity go to waste. The worst-case scenario was that the suspicious man was not Neo but if he was making visitors uncomfortable, it was his job to act accordingly.</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun approached the man from behind to not give him the chance to escape. He grabbed the other's shoulder with force and turned him around. It was a good chance to use his authoritative voice. "Excuse me, but may I ask you what are you doing here?" </p><p> </p><p>The man turned around with surprise but instead of running away or simply answering Jaehyun's question he put his index finger in front of his mask, as if telling the guard to be quiet, and turned around again to look at the entrance.</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun was starting to lose his patience so he decided to be a little more forceful. He shoved the guy against the wall and asked again. "What are your intentions here?" </p><p> </p><p>This time, the boy seemed to understand his predicament and he started shaking his hands in desperation. "No, no, I swear I'm not doing anything sketchy." </p><p> </p><p>"Big words for someone who covers his face entirely while watching the entrance of an important place. It screams suspicious."</p><p> </p><p>The boy kept explaining that it wasn't like that and Jaehyun was getting tired of excuses. Right when he was pondering whether he should take more drastic measures, they were interrupted by another voice.</p><p> </p><p>"Jaehyun? What's going on here?" It was none other than the owner of the gallery.</p><p> </p><p>"I was notified of the presence of this suspicious guy lurking around the gallery. I was taking care of it."</p><p> </p><p>Johnny looked unsettled. "What if we move this issue to my office?" He glanced around them and Jaehyun could see why Johnny looked so nervous. Some people have gathered near the entrance and were staring at them.</p><p> </p><p>The security guard nodded but the suspicious boy shook his head uncontrollably which caused his sunglasses to fall. "No, please, I'll be in big trouble if I get in there." </p><p> </p><p>Johnny arched an eyebrow while Jaehyun tried to stop the person from resisting. It wasn't that hard since this guy wasn't as strong as him.</p><p> </p><p>But suddenly, the boy's eyes opened wide and his breath started agitating. He started making motions with his hands that Jaehyun didn't seem to understand. "In… in… M-my…. my…. Po…. Pocket…" He seemed to have trouble talking as well. Johnny seemed to get hold of the situation and ran next to them in a second.</p><p> </p><p>"Call an ambulance." </p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun quickly understood everything when the guy brought his hand to his chest and kept breathing rapidly. Without wasting another second, he took his phone out and called the ambulance while Johnny took care of the now unconscious boy.</p><p> </p><p>While they were waiting for help to arrive, Jaehyun remembered what the boy had told him. “Johnny, check inside his pocket.”</p><p> </p><p>The owner didn’t ask any questions and quickly looked inside the other boy’s pocket. He took out what seemed to be a folded piece of paper.</p><p> </p><p>“‘Hi! My name is Lee Donghyuck. If you’re reading this please call Dr. Moon Taeil,’” Johnny read what was written on the paper out loud. “There’s also a phone number here.”</p><p> </p><p>* * *</p><p> </p><p>As soon as Johnny mentioned the name “Lee Donghyuk” to the doctor, he quickly gave them instructions on how to deal with the boy’s condition and directed them to go to the clinic where he worked immediately.</p><p> </p><p>He passed the message to the ambulance driver and, currently, both Jaehyun and Johnny were accompanying the unconscious boy to the designated place.</p><p> </p><p>They had stripped the boy from his cap and mask to help him breathe better and Johnny took that time on the ambulance to inspect the features of the boy named Lee Donghyuck. </p><p> </p><p>His skin was rather tanned and a variety of moles adorned his face. He seemed rather young to be the mastermind behind those intricate robberies, not to mention that he had managed to stand out among the crowd despite his poor efforts to disguise himself, so both Johnny and Jaehyun discarded the possibility of the boy being Neo. </p><p> </p><p>From the corner of his eye, he could see Jaehyun getting agitated by the second. The security guard alternated between looking at his watch and out of the window. Johnny was starting to get irritated but maybe the man had some kind of phobia of hospitals or being in an ambulance made him anxious so he would just bear with him for the time being.</p><p> </p><p>Once they arrived, Donghyuck was taken inside the hospital but Johnny remained by his side until they came into contact with who seemed to be Moon Taeil. The doctor ordered the boy to be taken to the emergency department at once.</p><p> </p><p>“How long has he been unconscious?” The doctor started asking while he walked next to the stretcher.</p><p> </p><p>“Twenty minutes, more or less,” answered Johnny with a collected voice while he followed them as well, Jaehyun trailing behind him.</p><p> </p><p>“Was he alone?” Taeil kept asking.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes. Nobody seemed to be accompanying him.”</p><p> </p><p>Taeil bit his lips and commanded them to wait outside while his team took care of the unconscious boy. Johnny simply nodded and stood outside and stared at the emergency room sign which was now lit on.</p><p> </p><p>He sighed and leaned on the wall opposite the room. He was about to check the time when his phone started ringing, which earned him a few dirty looks coming from the nurses. He quickly apologized with a bow and answered the phone quickly without checking who it was.</p><p> </p><p>“Johnny? Where are you?” It was Ten.</p><p> </p><p>Johnny cursed out loud, an action that made the nurses snicker at him once again. With all the commotion, he had completely forgotten about the gallery. </p><p> </p><p>The owner could hear a confused sound coming from the other line and he ruffled his hair in a clear sign of frustration. “Ten… I’m so sorry. A visitor suddenly fainted outside , and I was right there so I brought him to the hospital…” He checked the watch hopelessly to find that it was already the gallery’s closing time. “I don’t think I will make it. Jaehyun is also with me so can I entrust the closing to you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my god… Johnny, of course. Let me know if there’s any trouble or if you need me to do anything.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, don’t worry… What you’re doing is already enough.” Honestly, Johnny had been very lucky to find Ten. The truth was he hadn't been sure the other boy was qualified enough for the job when he hired him but Johnny didn’t mind training him as long as necessary. But surprisingly, Ten adapted really well to the new job and he became like a life savior to Johnny.</p><p> </p><p>The funny thing was that it was Johnny who had literally saved Ten’s life six months ago. Maybe they had been destined to meet and help each other.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, then I’ll start closing. Please let me know when you go home.” Johnny couldn’t stop the smile that covered his face. Ten was really attentive and the gallery owner liked the feeling of being taken care of.</p><p> </p><p>“Mmh.” he made an affirmative sound, but before he hung up, he added something more. “And Ten… Sorry I can’t drive you home tonight.”</p><p> </p><p>A harmonious laugh resounded on the other line. “It’s okay, it’s not your obligation to take me home. You don’t have to force yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t. I like doing it.” There was suddenly silence on the other line. It wasn't Johnny's intention to make Ten uncomfortable so he decided to cut the conversation short. “I’ll let you know when I’m home. Bye.” </p><p> </p><p>Once Johnny hung up he sighed once again. He and Ten had been like that for a while already, tiptoeing around something that neither of them knew what it was. Both daring at times but too scared to take a decisive step forward.</p><p> </p><p>He repressed another sigh and looked at the emergency room light once again. It was still on.</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun was sitting on a chair next to the room, shaking his legs nervously. "Hey," the guard followed Johnny's voice and met his stare. "Everything alright there? You look distressed."</p><p> </p><p>"Can I go to the gallery?" Jaehyun suddenly stood up and stared at Johnny. He was taken aback by the sudden request.</p><p> </p><p>"What?" He squinted his eyes and approached the guard to hear him more clearly. He was afraid of what the nurses would do to him if he raised his voice again.</p><p> </p><p>"You may have forgotten but Neo will most probably strike today… I can't afford to lose any more time here." </p><p> </p><p>Johnny immediately frowned at the other man's answer. Of course, he hadn't forgotten. It was HIS gallery and HIS problem after all but he was still sane enough to realize there were more important matters.</p><p> </p><p>He didn't care about the nurses anymore. Jaehyun was in need of a little lecture. "Can I ask you something?" The other boy looked at Johnny with a confused expression, as if he had been expecting a different kind of answer but he still nodded anyways. "You were a policeman, right?"</p><p> </p><p>Jaehyun hesitated. It seemed that the past tense of that sentence had bothered him but technically, he wasn't a cop anymore. "Yes."</p><p> </p><p>"Why exactly did you decide to be one?" But Johnny didn't even give Jaehyun a moment to answer. "Aren't policemen supposed to help people?"</p><p> </p><p>"Of course!" Jaehyun looked almost offended.</p><p> </p><p>"Then open your eyes!" He signaled to the emergency room. "There's someone in there fighting for his life. We found him so now he's our responsibility. We got to make sure he's okay and find a way to contact his family. Our help does not end by bringing him to the hospital."</p><p> </p><p>The other man was taken aback by this. Johnny still had things to say so he didn't hold back. "Let me ask you another question… Is it more important to you to help an actual person in need or catch a thief to play the hero?"</p><p> </p><p>Once again, Jaehyun looked as if he had been splashed with cold water. Johnny didn't want to sound harsh but he had always valued life over everything else. Yes, Neo had been making a mess out of his gallery but at least nobody had gotten hurt in the process. Moreover, they would always have a next time to catch the thief, but there wasn't a second chance at life.</p><p> </p><p>"Go outside and have some fresh air… Think about what you wanna do." Jaehyun looked reluctant but still followed Johnny's advice.</p><p> </p><p>The owner of the gallery watched him leave and sighed. If Jaehyun wanted to go, he would let him but he hoped the guard had learned a valuable lesson.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, the light from the emergency room was still on.</p><p> </p><p>* * *</p><p> </p><p>Taeil checked his clock, it was quarter past eleven, and only now did Donghyuck look stable.</p><p> </p><p>He sighed while checking the results of the younger boy's tests. He would have to keep a close eye on Donghyuck's condition from now on.</p><p> </p><p>The doctor went out of the emergency room to take a deep breath and just then he noticed that the man who had brought Donghyuck in was still waiting outside, slumped in one of the cold hospital chairs. Taeil had been so caught up in getting Donghyuck's heart working again that he forgot about the man.</p><p> </p><p>Taeil gently shook the other's shoulder and the man slowly met his gaze. He looked awfully tired and Taeil felt bad for the man. "Donghyuck's condition has stabilized for now. I must thank you for bringing him here."</p><p> </p><p>"No need. Luckily we found your phone number in one of his pockets." The man seemed to be thinking hard about something. Taeil wanted to ask him more questions but decided to wait for the tall man to speak. "Judging from the piece of paper he had already prepared, this isn't the first time this has happened to him, right?"</p><p> </p><p>Taeil wasn't sure who this man was or how much was he allowed to disclose but he had saved Donghyuck by bringing him here so the least Taeil could do was tell him a little about the younger boy. "It actually hasn't happened for a very long time… until now. If you don't mind, may I ask where you find him? He rarely leaves the house on his own."</p><p> </p><p>"Oh! He was outside my gallery." Taeil crooked his head in confusion. The other man quickly took out a card from his pocket and handed it to the doctor. "I own a place called Seo Galleries. The security guard saw him lurking around and tried to question him. By the time I arrived, the boy was already having trouble breathing."</p><p> </p><p>Taeil nodded at the information while he read the card. He had heard of Seo Galleries, some of his colleagues mentioned that they liked hanging out there so he would take notice to visit sometime.</p><p> </p><p>On another note, he also should ask Taeyong or Ten about Donghyuck's whereabouts and why exactly was he alone. Which reminded him… "Oh my god! Donghyuck's brothers probably don't know what happened to him. I'll call them immediately." </p><p> </p><p>At that moment, one of the nurses came out of the emergency room, looking for Taeil. "The patient is awake." Taeil quickly nodded and directed his attention to Johnny once again. "Donghyuck will spend the night here so you can leave the rest to me, Mr. Seo. Thank you for bringing him here and waiting until he was alright. He will surely appreciate that… I'll also let his family know about your kindness."</p><p> </p><p>Johnny simply shook his head and got up. "There's no need, I only did what anyone would have done." He started making his way towards the exit but turned around before he was too far. "Dr. Moon, please tell Donghyuck he has a free pass to the gallery whenever he wants. Tell him to ask for me." </p><p> </p><p>Taeil nodded and smiled at the man. It had been a stroke of luck that Donghyuck had been found by him.</p><p> </p><p>He remembered that the younger boy was now awake and approached his bed. Donghyuck looked weak but still smiled brightly when he saw Taeil. "It's been a while doc!"</p><p> </p><p>Taeil could only sigh. "This is not exactly the best way to meet each other, don't you think so?"</p><p> </p><p>The doctor tried to be intimidating but Donghyuck didn't even budge and kept his smile on. The boy even winked at him! It was hard getting mad at this little guy.</p><p> </p><p>"May I know what you were doing outside of a gallery on your own?" Donghyuck's expression immediately changed to panic. </p><p> </p><p>"Lee Donghyuck… You didn't go out behind your brothers' backs, did you?"</p><p> </p><p>Donghyuck's nervous expression was all Taeil needed for an answer. This kind of frustration wasn't in the job description.</p><p> </p><p>"I'll call them right now."</p><p> </p><p>"NO." The boy desperately clung to the doctor's gown. </p><p> </p><p>"Donghyuck, don't be like that. They'll panic when they arrive home and they don't see you. You of all people should be aware of your own condition."</p><p> </p><p>Donghyuck loosened his grip on Taeil's gown and looked down. "I just… I don't want to be a bother. I want to prove that I can do things by myself."</p><p> </p><p>Taeil felt bad for lashing out at the other boy. He was being unfair. He knew that Donghyuck had developed that bubbly personality as to not cause trouble for people. He hated being a burden so he tried to be happy all the time to not worry about other people.</p><p> </p><p>"I get it…" He patted the boy's head in a sign of surrender. "But I still have to call Taeyong…"</p><p> </p><p>Donghyuck nodded but Taeil could still see in his eyes some defiance. "Could you please not tell him that I went out without his permission?"</p><p> </p><p>"Donghyuck…" </p><p> </p><p>"Please, please, please." He put his hands together. "I promise I won't go out unannounced again and that I'll update you regularly on my condition."</p><p> </p><p>"Okay… only this time. BUT you have to come to a regular check-up every two weeks."</p><p> </p><p>"Got it!" He smiled widely and accommodated himself on the bed once again.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, before I forget! The guy who brought you here is some kind of famous gallery owner. He gave you a free pass to the gallery." Taeil mentioned it while he was reaching for the phone but he was startled when he heard shuffling coming from the bed.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you telling me that THE Johnny Seo brought me here?!" Donghyuck had a mix of emotions painted on his face: surprise, happiness, disappointment, hope. "And I can go to the gallery any day… FOR FREE?"</p><p> </p><p>"Before you do anything, remember that you can't go out unannounced again. You promised! Also, stop moving so much, you are recovering right now."</p><p> </p><p>Donghyuck laid down again and sighed. "Even if I wanted to go there in secret, I wouldn't get too far… Ten works there."</p><p> </p><p>"Then ask him to bring you there." Taeil thought the solution to the younger boy's troubles were very simple, knowing that one of his brothers worked there.</p><p> </p><p>"I already did… He said no…" Donghyuck sighed once again. Taeil asked why but the boy only shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>Without another word, he went out of the room, grabbed his cell phone, and looked for Taeyong's contact.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey, Taeyong! It's been a while. Don't panic but…"</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Night Watch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey! Back again with a new chapter<br/>I think this is moving faster than I expected @_@<br/>I'm sorry if there's not so many shipping moments until now but since this is a story very plot-driven, I'm trying to focus on that, hehe. <br/>Hope you like it! ♥</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After receiving Johnny's call, Ten grabbed his keys and started closing every door in the gallery, only accompanied by the quietness of the night. He was a little disappointed to not share a ride with Johnny that day. It had become quite a routine for them and had helped them become close when Ten had just started working at the gallery.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now Ten wished they wouldn't have gotten so close. It was already hard keeping secrets from Johnny and helping a thief behind his back, but having feelings for the taller male made it all ten times harder (no pun intended).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, how he wished he could tell him everything… about the thief, about the robberies, about the motive behind it all, and about how his heart always seemed to burst whenever Johnny got closer to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong had assured him that, if they were clever about it, Johnny would never find out about Ten's involvement and the raven-haired boy clung to those words. He wasn't sure what he would do if Johnny started looking at him with resentment in his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked at the time on his phone, it was quarter past eleven already. On any normal day, he would have already left but Taeyong was supposed to bring the modified painting today and there was no point in returning home when he had to go back to the gallery anyways to cut the power off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He made his way to the security room while whistling a tune that was stuck on his head. Ten already knew all the blind spots in the gallery like the back of his hand which helped him move easily across the gallery without anyone suspecting anything. The other security guards wouldn't suspect him either, Ten had worked in the gallery even before the robberies had started, he always stayed until late at night and Johnny had granted him a master key to all rooms, there was no reason to be wary of him if the owner himself had deposited his trust on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His only problem, the thorn on his side, was that man called Jung Jaehyun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten was aware that he should have had a better start with the man but he simply couldn't control himself. He hated cops. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny had told him about Jaehyun. About how he was a hopeless policeman who wanted to return to his old job and saw the robberies as a golden opportunity. He didn't care about the paintings, he didn't care about Johnny's work… As always, Cops only thought about themselves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong had warned him to get into Jaehyun's good side to avoid having trouble later but Ten refused to do it. He would try to lay low without having to mingle with that guy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luckily he wasn't there either, though Ten wouldn't mind hitting him with a fire extinguisher again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It seemed like the work today was going to be easy. Adding to the fact that neither Johnny nor Jaehyun would be there, the man in charge of the security cameras was put on leave, and strangely, Johnny hadn't hired a replacement. Ten was thankful for that, adding sleeping pills into the man's beer bottles and closing them flawlessly again was becoming quite the hassle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now he only needed to enter the room, mess a little with the wires, touch a few buttons, and voilá, system deactivated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a job well done, he took out his phone to let Taeyong know that it was safe to come but right as he was about to finish writing the message, he received a call.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was Taeyong. 'Right on time' thought Ten and talked to Taeyong with a smug voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was about to message you. I just want to assure you everything's going great for tonight's operation. You can co-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ten." Taeyong interrupted him, he sounded oddly serious. "Donghyuck is in the hospital."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What?" Ten's eyes almost popped out of his face. This was not what he was expecting to hear. He ran out of the room and moved towards the front desk, where he had left his things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Taeil just called me, I'm on my way to the hospital." Ten could hear noises in the background. "Forget about the operation for now." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten nodded but then remembered the older boy couldn't see him. "Okay, let me grab my stuff and I'll be there as soon as I can."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You'll probably arrive first so call me as soon as you know something." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I will. See you there." They both hung up at the same time and immediately after that, Ten grabbed his bag and made his way to the front door. But right as he was approaching it, he heard a sound coming from the door followed by mumbling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Huh? It's open?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shit. Of course, it had to be the only person he didn't want to see. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fucking Jung Jaehyun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten had to think fast. It was almost midnight, there was no convincing reason for Ten to still be there. Moreover, he had forgotten to activate the security system again. Even if he made up some kind of excuse and left, Jaehyun would eventually suspect him if he found that the alarm and the cameras had been deactivated. He was roaming the gallery at late hours, he was the last person Jaehyun would see, he was one of the few with access to all the rooms… He was the perfect suspect.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With only a few seconds to spare, he sprinted towards the front desk and hid behind it. Ten crouched as low as he could and even held his breath while he heard the door closing in front of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heard footsteps approaching and Ten could practically feel the shivers on his neck. Everything would be over if Jaehyun found him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It seemed that he still had some luck left because he heard the footsteps shifting to the right. Ten had the idea of making a run to the front door but if by any chance Jaehyun realized the lights of the security cameras were off, he would go to the security room which was pretty close to his current position.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to change his hiding spot fast. Good thing he knew the place by heart, otherwise, he would be doomed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before running towards a different hallway, he grabbed his phone from his bag and sent a message to Taeyong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>&lt;&lt; This dumb monkey Jaehyun is here in the gallery. I'm stuck... HELP &gt;&gt;</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, it wasn't as neatly written. Ten had the bad habit of making a lot of typos when he was nervous. He hoped that Taeyong was able to understand his message anyways…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was going to be a long night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is it more important to you to help an actual person in need or catch a thief to play hero?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny's words still echoed in his mind. He wondered if he had made the right decision… He surely hoped so.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It's not like Jaehyun didn't care about the boy who had passed out but he didn't feel as useful as Johnny in that situation and that made him mad. Mad at himself. Situations like that only made him realize all the things he was lacking to be a good policeman. He had known from day one at the academy that the main goal was to help people but he had never dealt first hand with these so-called "people". </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun thought he was helping enough just by detaining criminals, returning stolen property, finding missing people. It was what he was good at. He had never stopped to talk to these people he had helped, asked them if they were alright, if his help had been enough… He knew he still had a long way to go but it was hard for him to accept it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was easier to just keep doing what he was good at… That's why he had decided to return to the gallery and stop the thief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He started to believe he had made the right decision when he tried to turn the key and found that the door wasn't locked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Had Ten forgotten to close it on his way out? Or had the thief somehow picked the lock?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was also another possibility… He had been suspecting it for a while but he still needed more concrete evidence. Maybe he should tell Johnny about it and hear his insight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he opened the door, the gallery was as silent as ever, everything seemed to be in place. He started making his way where the fake painting used to be but he stopped dead on his tracks when he had an important realization.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wasn't the alarm supposed to ring the moment someone entered? Johnny had even warned him about it before leaving and had given him the code to deactivate it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun's head moved so quickly that it was a surprise his neck didn't crack. The lights of the cameras were off… The security system had been deactivated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thief was definitely here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ran to the room only to find that the space on the wall where the fake picture used to be was still empty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Had Neo not gotten to the room yet? No, that was highly unlikely. After all, the thief had arrived before him, right? What stopped him from putting up the modified painting? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn't possible to know how long had the security been deactivated. Maybe the thief had just turned it off when Jaehyun arrived and was about to head to the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just to be sure, the guard decided to wait there for a while, it wouldn't be wise to repeat the same mistake from last time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And if Neo didn't appear any time soon, he would turn the whole gallery upside down until he found him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong almost fell from the chair when he read Ten's text. He understood it perfectly on the first read despite the typos since he was already trained in the art of decoding his friend's messages.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chewed on his lower lip nervously while he tried to think of a way to help Ten from where he was but it was difficult when Donghyuck was still awake explaining to him what had happened. The young boy had gone to the store because they had run out of toilet paper and it just happened that he passed out once he got there. Luckily, he had been carrying the paper with Taeil’s number.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you tell us you were going out?” Ten would have to wait for now. He didn’t have the heart to abandon Donghyuck in the state he was right now. It was not the first time he had seen his little brother on a hospital bed and he knew it wouldn’t be the last… Ten wouldn’t forgive him either if he left Donghyuck alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy shrugged and kept playing with his fingers as he had been doing since the moment Taeyong entered the room. “It was close by… I didn’t think-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older boy sighed. “Yeah, that’s clear. Donghyuck, we have gone over this a lot of times already. You can’t leave on your own and if you do, you have to tell us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong saw how Donghyuck’s fingers froze. “I didn’t want to bother you two.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And look where that took you.” He regretted those words as soon as they came out of his mouth but it was too late. Donghyuck frowned and turned around so that his back was now facing him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t Donghyuck’s fault that he was born with that condition. Even after knowing all the hardships he would have to face in the future, the boy never lost his smile, he tried not to worry others, he didn’t complain, he was such a good kid and Taeyong knew he was being unfair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.” Slowly, he directed his hands towards the other boy’s hair and stroked it gently. Donghyuck was startled but didn’t say anything and kept ignoring Taeyong. “I’m glad you’re okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tanned boy remained as silent as before and Taeyong thought he deserved the cold treatment. He slumped on the chair next to the hospital bed once again and unlocked his phone. Donghyuck would probably not talk to him until he fell asleep so he decided to use that time to make a plan for Ten’s escape.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, there wasn’t much he could do from there, so Ten would have to wait until morning. There was also the modified painting issue… Jaehyun would surely be looking for it and if he didn’t find any sign of Neo, the blame would surely be pushed on Ten since he was the last to leave. Having the guard making more conjectures would certainly get them in trouble. Neo had to make his presence known no matter what.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A lightbulb went on in his head suddenly. He started typing rapidly and explaining his idea to Ten. It would be faster to just call him but if Ten made any noise and Jaehyun happened to be close by, it would be their end. He surely hoped the other boy’s phone was in silent mode.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>&lt;&lt; You’re not gonna like this but… &gt;&gt;</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It made no sense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was already morning. He had turned the whole gallery upside down but there was no sign of Neo or the modified painting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The gallery would open up at any moment now. Was the guy still here? Had he already left? Or… had he never been there to begin with? Jaehyun couldn’t help but wonder if this was some kind of complex ruse to get on his nerves… cause it was working. This damn thief was trying to mess with his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he was considering going around all the rooms one more time, he heard the sound of the front door opening. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He positioned himself in combat mode just in case but he quickly dropped them when he saw the owner of the gallery entering. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, it seemed like Johnny had noticed his stance. “Yeah, maybe a punch on the face will help to keep me awake.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He closed the door and made his way to the front desk. “Judging from your attitude, I assume our beloved thief has not presented himself today as he had promised.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun clenched his fists. It was as if Johnny was indirectly telling him that he shouldn’t have decided to come. “Actually… He has… The security system was deactivated when I arrived.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny stopped dead in his tracks, confusion overtaking his face. Jaehyun continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But the modified painting is nowhere to be found. I searched everywhere and there’s still no sign of it or of a message like last time.” He still had that post-it note saved inside one of his drawers at home. He had studied that handwriting thoroughly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Johnny brought his fingers up to his chin. “Maybe Ten forgot to activate the security last night?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun had thought of that possibility and was thinking of asking the boy when he arrived. “Now that you mention it. Where is Ten? You always come to the gallery together.” Since the moment he started working there, he sensed some weird aura coming from both of them when they were together. However, it wasn’t his intention to pry so he had never thought of asking about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He sent me a text earlier today. A family member of his was admitted to the hospital so he had to rush there.” The gallery owner grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and started texting someone. “I’ll ask him if he forgot to activate the security system last ni-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun didn’t even let Johnny finish that sentence and snatched the phone from Johnny. The other man looked bewildered. “What the hell Jaehyun?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Listen, Johnny… You’re not going to like what I’m going to say but… just listen.” He hid the tall man’s phone behind his back, just in case Johnny made a motion to get it back. “I’ve been thinking this for a while but… There’s a possibility that the thief is someone who works here or that maybe someone is helping him from the inside.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny’s eyes grew impossibly bigger but, after recovering from the shock, he frowned at Jaehyun. “Do you have any idea how serious are the accusations you’re making? These people have worked for me for a long time and I trust them completely.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun held back a sigh. This wouldn’t be the first time he would have to deal with an overly trusting employer. “That’s why I said you wouldn’t like it.” He had been studying every employee he had met and that included Johnny. He was the kind of boss that didn’t think of his subordinates as simple employees but as a family and always treated them with respect and kindness which were returned as well. “But how is it possible to deactivate the security each time the thief comes? Is he really some kind of genius hacker or is someone here helping him? How did the man in charge of the cameras always fall asleep on the days Neo attacked? Also… I didn’t tell you this but the first night, before I passed out, I swear I saw the thief right in front of me but the blow on my head came from behind…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With every word Jaehyun muttered, Johnny’s eyebrow furrowed even more. It seemed like he was seriously thinking hard about everything Jaehyun was telling him. Johnny could be an overly kind and fair man but he was also a businessman and businessmen had critical thinking. If someone was really betraying his trust, surely Johnny wouldn’t let it slide.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s say your suspicions are true. What should we do then?” finally asked the owner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We won’t do anything for now. It’s too soon for interrogations and we still don’t have a clear lead. Just keep an eye open and I’ll do the same.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny nodded and signaled for Jaehyun to give him his phone back. “So… by your reaction, I guess you want to leave Ten out of this as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun wondered how dangerous it would be to tell Johnny that Ten was one of the top suspects on his list. He decided against it and just nodded and muttered a ‘just in case’ before handing Johnny his phone back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After that, he decided to help Johnny set everything up to open the gallery. However, something really curious happened when they opened the front door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From the corner of Jaehyun’s eye, he could see a figure quickly hiding behind one of the walls of the gallery. Was Neo finally appearing? He squinted his eyes and quickly ran towards the place. Jaehyun didn’t know why but suddenly he felt alive. The adrenaline of the moment filled his entire body. “No use in hiding, I already saw you.” He muttered in a playful voice, loud enough so that the intruder would listen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But when he turned the corner and finally caught a glimpse of the person, he was utterly disappointed to find it wasn’t the thief he was looking for. It was just a boy who was covering his whole face with a cap, some sunglasses, and a mask, and… wait… was this some kind of deja vu?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened? Jaehyun, did you catch him?” Johnny came from behind and his jaw went slack at the sight in front of him. “Are you… Donghyuck?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other boy took off his mask and smiled awkwardly at both of them. “H-hey…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you supposed to be in the hospital?” Johnny said and held the boy by the arm. “Isn’t your family with you? What about the doctors?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They went to work so I took the chance to come here. I’ll be back in a moment though” The boy smiled brightly as if he didn’t understand the seriousness of what he had just done.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No way.” Johnny pointed at Jaehyun and then at Donghyuck. “Jaehyun. Take this guy to the hospital right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?!” a chorus of two voices said at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“B-but you said I got a free pass…” The tanned boy said with a pout.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Johnny, the thief may still be around here… I can’t leave now.” Jaehyun murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Donghyuck, that free pass is for when you are completely recovered, no buts.” This time, the owner turned to Jaehyun and looked at him with a stern face, as if he was talking with a child as well. “And I believe your shift is about to end Mr. Jung and I happen to be your boss.” His mouth curved into a smile and Jaehyun had the sudden urge to punch him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both Donghyuck and Jaehyun sighed at the same time and then looked at each other as if the other guy was his mirror since both of them were being terrorized by THE Johnny Seo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to say thank you for helping me… to both of you.” He directed his gaze at Jaehyun and then at Johnny. He might not have been fully conscious at the time but he seemed to remember most of what had happened. Jaehyun suddenly felt overly conscious of the fact he had left the hospital the previous night without knowing if the boy had made it and he had to admit there was a part of him that was glad to see him again and that he looked okay.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By the way… Mr. Seo…” Donghyuck was chewing his lips in a clear sign of nervousness. Jaehyun found it kind of endearing and apparently Johnny did as well because, with a tender laugh, he interrupted the boy to tell him he preferred to be called Johnny rather than Mr. Seo. Donghyuck nodded eagerly and continued, this time with a little more confidence. “I read that there will be an exhibition with Mark’s…” the boy hesitated. “I mean, Mark Lee’s paintings in two months.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny nodded. “That’s correct. Would you like to use your free pass for that? Isn’t it too far from now though?” </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Donghyuck shook his head. “It’s not that…” The boy was struggling to find the words to say, he kept opening and closing his mouth but no sound came out of it. “Can you please reschedule the exhibition and make it sooner?” The words stumbled out of his mouth at once. If Jaehyun hadn’t been paying close attention, he would surely have missed it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tanned boy looked at Johnny expectantly, as if that change of date would save his life. But Jaehyun was not so positive about it, as far as he knew, these kinds of events needed some time to organize, Mark would have to paint faster and the visitors who had bought their tickets in advance would have to be notified quickly and there was no way of knowing if they could make it on the new date. It would surely bring more trouble than whatnot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One glance at Johnny assured him that the owner was thinking the exact same thing. “I don’t think that would be possible, Donghyuck… It’s nice to see that Mark has such dedicated fans and I understand that you don’t want to wait but…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that I don’t want to but I don't know if I will…” Donghyuck said this in an unfinished whisper, almost imperceptible but Jaehyun's ear was trained enough to hear it. The boy also looked as if he was ready to cry at any moment. “It’s okay… I kinda knew it wouldn’t be possible but I wanted to give it a go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t be sad. Let’s make a deal. That day I’ll be sure to introduce you to Mark, what do you think?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That sounds good.” But Donghyuck didn’t look thrilled, he looked more miserable than before. Still, he gave the owner a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes and put on his mask again. “I should get going. If Taeil notices I’m not there, it will be the end of me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Johnny patted the boy’s back and directed Jaehyun to take a cab and accompany him to the hospital. “When you’re done you can go home, Jaehyun.” The guard was about to add something but Johnny seemed to have read his mind. “If I find anything unusual, I’ll tell you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun nodded and signaled Donghyuck to follow him to the main street. The boy kept his head low and he even lowered his cap. Was it that deep? Just how bad was this boy’s condition? “Do you like Mark’s painting?” As if it wasn’t an obvious question but Jaehyun was just trying to be nice and strike up a conversation with the boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” To say Jaehyun was surprised by the answer would be a lie. He was definitely lacking on the field of conversation topics. “I don’t like looking at them because all those paintings just let me know that Mark is sad… and I don’t like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The guard was impressed with the answer. So this guy was one of Johnny’s followers who felt that everything had a reason. He was suddenly dreading asking any other thing related to art because he wouldn’t be able to sit through that conversation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then why do you want the exhibition to be earlier if you don’t like looking at his paintings?” At this question, Donghyuck simply shrugged. It seemed like the boy didn’t want to talk about it anymore and Jaehyun respected that. Still, it was hard to imagine the commotion the change of date would create, a lot of people would have to change their plans…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Change… plans...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun quickly grabbed the phone from his pocket and sent a quick text to Johnny.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>&lt;&lt;Let’s change the exhibition date. &gt;&gt;</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hit me up on twitter if you want to talk ♥ @wblobfishbells</p></blockquote></div></div>
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